Recent posts by Danielle Diver

I'm looking for resources about chicken diseases and ways to control them naturally (homeopathy, essential oils).

Books ideal (chicken how-to with a good resource chapter on disease would be handy), online sources, youtube ok but I don't have reliable internet and can't watch YouTube. But it's good to make note here for future reference.

so...
We've fallen down the rabbit hole (chicken hole?) And are about to buy a local free range chicken farm with no less than 2,000 birds ranging around us.
Free range great and all (with no intention of changing that) i find that from 5 - ten percent of any flock (there are nine or so at a time, each six months apart) are sick with differing symptoms. Stress is not a thing here for sure, but im wondering if there is a sickness being passed on as we move them thru cabins.

So I hope this gets some attn despite the vague title but I decided to keep all my questions logged in this one message.

So recently, yesterday, we noticed one pig sleeping behind as we fed the others and today he doesn't seem to look much better. He doesn't seem unhealthy otherwise, no visible problems. He is lethargic and not eating any feed and only mildly nibbling on apples quite unenthusiasticly. Any ideas as to what malady this could be or how to revive him? What does one do with a sick pig short of calling the vet? Would he be our first candidate to be processed next (despite the fact that he is not the biggest and most choice piggie).

Otherwise, the first band of seven is great and almost ready for processing. This weekend we will welcome seven new babies, Berkshire. Pics and a better update to come!

Hi Grant!
I live in France and am starting a farm scale pig (and possibly chickens, later) farm. We have our first batch of pigs that should be of age by Jan.
At the moment I'm doing some thinking and researching into what seeds to sow behind them as they rotate. Eventually I'd like to control the pasture and possibly grow pasture as winter feed as well.
I'm a bit stuck as my first sowing will come in mid late October. I was thinking a mix of mustard, alfalfa, some grass, and, ??
Anyway, I'm glad you are joining us!

Hey! Have you had any luck in your research? I know there are loads of English folks buying up country land, sometimes as individuals and sometimes in groups. I could prrrooobably find a friend of a friend that could help and we some questions OR there are free regional magazines for English residences that advertise group meetings and even services exactly like you are seeking. So I can't answer your questions directly, but if you'd like, I could try and help guide you towards someone who can.

Hi Olga!
I live in the Deux-Sèvres region and am starting a little farm. We live on a small organic chicken farm and have started raising pigs. We are newbies, looking for land, and learning as much as we can as we go along.
It's always nice to learn about projects close to home, so I can't wait to hear more about yours!
Bienvenue et à bientôt!
Danielle

im sort of winging it now ,but my plan is coming together and with a little experimentation and observation i hope to have a good program eventually.

right now im doing a lot of observation: the soil, how it reacts to animals (mainly chickens but now pigs), what weeds grow when, this and that... its been great fun! and studying permaculture alongside this project really helps enrich my experience. i dont think i would have taken the 'observation' part as seriously if i didnt read it a million times in permaculture studies.

Thanks RedHawk! Great to have some feedback from my native Arkansas! We did build a wallow for them and they took some time to get interested in it. they never really used it as sunscreen but they do explore it for whatever reason now and then, casually, but that may change as they adapt to the parcel. also, when we picked them up we were in the middle of the hottest part of summer and now we are already having cool nights and average days (great for us, sad for the tomatoes and the black eyed peas im trying to grow!). nothing like arkansas! hey, on a side note, didnt you have a restaurant in LR in the 90s, the Vegetable Cafe i think? i remember taking meditation classes in the evenings there... it was such a wonderful project... and thank you for your input and advice!

So update, the pigs are adjusting well and now we are looking to add more protein to their diet. eventually i want to get some laying hens, but its project yet unrealized and so in the meantime we will look for other sources. we may be able to find a local organic (and very cheap) supply of split peas. would that be enough protein? should we grind the peas or feed them whole (dry)? we have access to a very large mill (onsite) where we could easily grind anything into more of a fine powder.

otherwise i am very intersted in seeding pastures as they are rotated. it is dawning into fall (here), im putting together a calender of what to sow and when, in order to decide what to sow now and what to do next year and so on. what i have access to now is Millet, Lucerne (alfalfa), mustard, beans? for forage? is that a good idea?

any advice on what to sow that grows quickly?

and how much time should i leave the parcel between pigs? if i move these dudes, sow seeds begind them, then how long should i wait until i put more pigs on the same pasture? if it only takes a couple months for the plants to grow is that enough time for the soil to recouperate?

i noticed too that this band of pigs works the ground pretty methodically. they are working their way, circular, around the parcel. each time i go visit them they move a bit farther as if they are plowing a perfect garden. would it be worth seeding now, even tho we wont move them for at least a few weeks? or would it be a waste of seeds?